Typical rhetorical functions used in academic writing
Descriptive
- Describing objects, location, structure and direction
- Reporting and narrating
- Defining
- Writing instructions
- Describing function
- Describing processes, developments and operations
- Classifying / categorising
- Giving examples
- Including tables and charts
Critical
- Writing critically
- Arguing and discussing
- Evaluating other points of view
- Comparing and contrasting: similarities and differences
- Generalising
- Expressing degrees of certainty
- Expressing reasons and explanations / cause and effect
- Expressing feelings
- Analysing
- Planning action
- Providing support
- Application
- Working with different voices and finding your own
- Taking a stance
- Using theory
- Persuading
- Introducing
- Using previous research
- Indicating a gap
- Presenting findings from statistical analyses
- Presenting findings from interviews
- Discussing limitations
- Drawing conclusions
- Recommendations
- Implications
Reflective
Source: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/funcfram.htm